When It Comes
by oosez
Summary: [xmas, NYE, valentine fic] [sasusaku] ... because although he didn't like it, Sasuke was a man of tradition...
1. Christmas

Disclaimer: I am Kishimoto Masashi's Love Child.

**a/n: **This story is set when they are roughly 16 or 17 years old. So basically Sakura and Naruto will have saved Sasuke from the un-smexiful clutches of Orochimaru. Since they're all back at Konoha, they're back as Team Kakashi, with Kakashi as their fourth person (duh). Because this story only revolves around Christmas, New Years and maybe Valentines, it'll only be a few chapters long. I _will_ finish Cool Punishment. Eventually. This story may contain spoilers up to Chapter 280 of the manga. So **way **past where the anime is.

**Warning: **If you hate convenient Christmas plotlines, go back now.

* * *

**When It Comes**

So there was this girl. And there was this boy.

And the Hidden Village was getting ready for Christmas…

-

Their mission had been a short one and had done nothing to dissipate Sakura's anticipation over the Christmas celebrations. It distracted her that day, and as she tried to disarm a large gang of bandits, had received a nasty blow to the face. She rubbed her jaw in annoyance and hoped it didn't bruise. She wanted her Christmas day to be _perfect. _She risked a quick glance behind her at Sasuke before doubling her pace towards home. Sakura heard her teammates speed up behind her and felt grateful they were a team again.

-

Her father had laughed at her, the morning before she left for the mission.

"It's a surprise!" he batted her hands away.

"Well if it's a surprise then let me see it and I'll be surprised for you" she retorted, trying to see what he held behind his back. Her father chuckled some more and managed to edge around Sakura, as his wife tugged her to the breakfast table.

"Mum!" she cried out, desperately trying to reach her father. She managed to break free and take two or three steps before her mother caught onto her arm and they both fell to the floor, in peals of laughter. "Mum!" she cried again, "stop!" and gasped frenziedly as she was tickled mercilessly.

Her father appeared a few minutes later, standing over her and grinning sheepishly as she lay on the floor, panting.

"Where's my surprise?" she demanded childishly.

He shrugged, still grinning and started on his cooling breakfast. Sakura felt like screaming.

-

Sakura was home now, waving goodbye to her teammates. She rushed to her room, dumping her bag beside her bed and threw open her curtains. Her eyes searched the path for the telltale red and white fan on blue, but it was empty. She sighed. She didn't think that her crush would ever be gone. As she had grown older, and as Sasuke had grown older, they had changed. The circumstances had changed. But whenever she saw him, the same smile would reach her lips and her heart would feel the same familiar pang.

They were quieter now, her feelings. She no longer felt the girlish need to squeal and fight for his attention. She no longer had that childish bravado and instead held the insecurities of a teenage girl who had been turned by a boy too many times. It wasn't to say that Sakura was getting over Sasuke, oh no, but she was mindful enough to know that he needed space.

Perhaps too many things had changed.

-

The mission to retrieve Sasuke had, in the end, involved the incomplete Team Kakashi, Team Gai, Team Kurenai, Team Asuma, Jiraiya and many jounin and ANBU. The plan originally was to prevent Orochimaru from doing the body-switch and hopefully persuade Sasuke back to Konoha, relieving him of his missing-nin status. In the end, Orochimaru had been killed, his lifeless arms failing to perform the jutsus that could have saved his life. Kabuto and the minions had fought, desperately, but against half of the Konoha shinobi, they too fell.

Sasuke did not need persuading to come back home, and for that, many had been glad. He had only wanted to gain strength and never really intended on selling his body to gain it. He assisted in the toppling of Orochimaru's small, crime-based empire and in doing so, redeemed himself in the eyes of Hidden Village's Elders.

Coincidentally, some members of the Akatsuki were there, having been tracking Naruto. They appeared barely a few hours after Orochimaru's charred body had been pulled from the wreckage of the fortress and it had been chaos. The Akatsuki had caught them by surprise and many were killed or injured within the first few minutes, but in a stroke of pure luck, the shinobi of the other villages had come to the rescue in payment for the heinous crimes done to them by Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. Jiraiya had managed to capture one Akatsuki member, with some hurt done to himself. Naruto, of course, summoned the strength of the Nine-Tails Fox to aid him killing one member and the combined effort of the elite jounin and those who possessed bloodlines managed to capture another.

And Sasuke. After the havoc wreaked by the Akatsuki had passed, Sakura had tended the wounded. Tired, she realized that Sasuke wasn't there. She searched for his chakra and found him in a clearing, panting in a defensive position, facing Itachi. _Of course, _she'd thought. She'd always known that it would come down to this. She watched silently, heart in mouth as Sasuke threw one last kunai, performed a quick jutsu, reappeared behind Itachi with a blazing Chidori in one hand and then –

Sakura managed to catch Sasuke before he hit the ground.

The next few weeks had been hectic, to say the least. The Hokage had been run off her feet dealing with the worst of the injured and the new alliances forming with the other Hidden Villages. The Akatsuki were duly dealt with, publicly and cruelly to set an example. One member to each village that had been involved that day.

Konoha had been given the infamous Uchiha Itachi. He had been carried on a stretcher unconscious and largely unharmed by anyone after the battle. Sakura found it nothing short of a miracle that Sasuke would do nothing but glance at the S-class criminal darkly, as he lay on another stretcher, then as he was piggybacked by Naruto (somewhat awkward, yet amusing for the two) and then as he limped by her side.

When the village had once again settled down, Uchiha Itachi's trial was held publicly. The combined usage of Sasuke's and Kakashi's sharingan held him in place 24/7. The elders had decided, and it was agreed upon by the village and Tsunade, that the issue of his punishment belonged to his younger brother, the only survivor of the massacre.

Two months before Christmas, Sasuke had entered Itachi's cell. He had requested that Naruto, Kakashi and herself be there to support him. Tsunade, Shizune and two elders were there to officially witness. They had come expecting a slow and painful death. They had come expecting retribution.

They watched as Sasuke performed a simple jutsu – unknown – and pushed a blue light towards Itachi. Sakura noticed Kakashi's eyes crinkle in understanding and Itachi's eyes widen in disbelief. A few seconds later, Sasuke stood back, his eyes as unreadable as ever. He then knelt by Itachi's side, and gave him one last message, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"For years, I would listen to your voice, telling me how weak I was. All I could remember was how powerless I was that night. My dear brother, now it is your turn. I am stronger. I'm sure father would be proud" he stood up, and to everyone's amazement, brushed the hair away from his older brother's face and kiss his forehead tenderly.

He stood, grabbed Sakura's hand and walked outside, shutting the door.

All Sakura could remember was Sasuke holding her so close, like an anchor to sanity.

-

The next day, Tsunade told her what Sasuke had done.

Itachi was now a quadriplegic.

The Ultimate Revenge.

-

It was two weeks until Christmas now and the merchants began putting their finest products in windows and on shelves. Sakura's parents had recently brought in a shipment of worldly treasures of which they put on display in their main-street shop. They had allowed her to pick three things out, as an early Christmas present and she'd had a lovely time laughing and squealing over her parent's wares with Ino, Tenten and Hinata. She had taken special note of what each girl seemed to like the most to present to them at the festivals.

For herself she had picked out a kimono that had come from the Silk Country (finely spun and decorated delicately with the flowers of her namesake, her parents did not protest with the usual "**more **clothes!"), tough yet soft matching long gloves, jacket and leg warmers from the Wool Country (hers would never recover from Kabuto's impressive attacks) and a pretty musical box which chimed a sweet tune. Her parents thought the last choice an odd one but she shrugged off their puzzled glances. She had spent her childhood trying to be adult and mature for Sasuke and now she felt the need to make up for that time – before she had become a ninja, before Orochimaru, before Akatsuki, before Sasuke left her.

The gifts only served to fuel her curiosity towards her proper Christmas present and she ached to know what it was. Christmas could not come early enough for Sakura.

_Sasuke's adjusting well, _Sakura thought. Sasuke and Naruto were mending their friendship and their rivalry had resumed itself. Kakashi still treated them both like Genins and not equal shinobi as he had promised. Sakura suspected this was so they'd train harder for their Chuunin, and eventually Jounin exams. She found their rivalry cute and amusing as she spurred them on by reminding that she had just passed her Jounin exams. She was also now a medical ninjutsu specialist – second only to the Hokage and on par with Shizune. On top of that she was only just realizing her genjutsu potential with Kurenai and, when he had time, Kakashi. She had taken Chiyo-baasama 's words of being a capable and courageous kunoichi to heart and vowed never allow herself to be the scared 12-year-old ever again.

Sakura wondered if she would ever really leave that self behind her.

Sakura had found herself increasingly shier around Sasuke. She had resolved to avoid squealing over him (she blushed terribly in mortification when she'd seen Ino having a one-sided flirt session with Sasuke). Sakura was also aware that this was Sasuke, and that he'd rejected her countless times in the past. However, Sakura remembered Sasuke pulling her outside after punishing Itachi, shuddering slightly as he buried his head into her shoulders, his hands clutching at the red cloth of her Haruno shirt. This only served to confuse her all the more and on the rare occasions Sasuke initiated conversation, or when they were alone, she found herself with a slight stammer.

Sakura thought that this Christmas would find her in speech therapy.

-

More now than ever, Sasuke wished that he'd gotten to know her better. He was very aware that it was less than two weeks from Christmas and Sakura was the last person on his Christmas shopping list. But honestly, it wasn't his fault. If Sakura hadn't adopted that annoying fangirl persona, then _maybe _they could've been better team mates and _maybe_ they could've been friends.

But that was only a maybe.

Sasuke brightened up. Sakura was a fangirl right? That meant that whatever he gave her, she would cherish it forever and ever.

He tittered, annoyed. Of course Sakura had to ruin _that _bright insight by completely changing her attitude towards him, just as he'd seen the light and conveniently just before Christmas. This was not fair.

He wondered what he could've done to make Sakura so nervous around him. He wondered what he could've done to make a girl that had decimated Orochimaru's fortress with a few mere punches stammer and avoid being alone with him.

Perhaps he had intimidated her with Itachi's punishment. Perhaps her attentions were on another (though that did nothing to explain the shyness). _Or perhaps, _he cringed, _her newly acquired Jounin status won't permit get to get too close to **Genin.**_

He briefly considered sending her a Christmas card and a box of Candy Canes.

_No, that's not right, _Sasuke thought. Because although he didn't like it, he was a man of tradition. Tradition drove him to avenge his family. _Tradition_ bespoke that he wear his family crest with pride. And **_tradition_** told him he must present appropriate gifts to those he had ties with.

And he had to admit, he did have ties with Sakura, however confusing they may have been.

-

Sakura got down on her knees and dug furiously. She could feel the old heat rushing up her cheeks and the same prickling in her eyes.

"Sakura"

She shut her eyes, hoping it wasn't who she thought it was.

"Sakura? What are you doing?"

No, it wasn't Lee, but Sasuke made a close second on her **'Don't Want To See Right Now' **list. She sighed and sat back. "S-Sasuke-kun? Shouldn't you be t-training right now?"

"I can pass those Chuunin exams, no sweat"

"B-but, what if N-Naruto and you end up against each other in t-the last round?" Sakura hoped her 'Naruto Plan' would work, and send Sasuke on his merry way to the training grounds. Or at least away from here.

"I'll go easy on him" Damn. Plan B, anyone?

"Ah," she acknowledged nervously. She wished he would walk away and stop looking at her like that. "Err, S-Sasuke-kun? What are you d-doing here?"

Sasuke blew his bangs from his eyes. "The dobe is holed up in the Hokage's office for defacing her monument and I don't feel like training"

Don't feel like training? Sakura could only remember Sasuke as training all the time, unless he was on a mission, when they were children. Could this be because he had finally caught up to Itachi, an Akatsuki member?

It didn't escape Sakura that Sasuke had decided to visit her home while he was bored.

_More changes, _she thought. "Ah," she said out loud.

"Now tell me," Sasuke squatted next to her and she could feel the heat returning to her face. "What are you doing in your front garden crying?"

Her eyes widened and she resumed her frantic digging. "Lee-san's present!" she gasped, all traces of agitation gone.

Sasuke frowned, puzzled. "You hid Thick Brow's present in your front garden?"

Sakura look up sharply. "What? No! Lee-san gave me my Christmas present yesterday -"

"A bit early isn't it?" Sasuke muttered.

"Lee-san said he was going on a mission with Gai and he didn't know if he'd be able to come back in time for the festivities" Sakura explained patiently.

"I thought Tsunade-sama decided to give all shinobi involved in Orochimaru's downfall a holiday, since there's a temporary peace between the villages now"

Sakura shrugged. "I think what Lee-san meant was training, but with the things those two embark on, you might as well just call it Mission Impossible"

Sasuke crawled closer to her until his nose almost touched Sakura's. He spoke softly.

"Hey Sakura?"

Sakura's mouth went dry and her breathing quickened. Her hands felt clammy and she fought the speech impediment that was threatening to resurface.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

"You're not stammering anymore"

Sakura swallowed, hoping it went unnoticed. Her lips twitched to form words but she didn't know what to say. He was so close to her, she wondered if Sasuke knew that he was invading her personal space. _Any other girl, _Sakura thought, _would be reading into this…_

Her heart skipped a beat as she reached this conclusion. Sakura's pulse flickered aggressively at her throat. She licked her lips and leant forward, sure she wasn't thinking this through properly, sure that she would regret it, sure that she was out of her league. But also knowing this was her only opportunity to find out for real if she'd ever have chance with him.

She suddenly wondered how all heroines from romance novels managed to deal with all the physical and mental stress of an almost-kiss, but there it was. She was so close now…

Sasuke stood up abruptly, leaving Sakura staring at his knees. He ran his hand through his hair, "I'll help you. It's not like I have anything better to do." He turned around and started sifting through the dirt in another part of the garden.

Sakura gasped in air, wonderment at what almost happened. Maybe she didn't want to have her first kiss after all, she thought, disappointed. _After all, whoever heard of a girl waiting to have her first kiss with a guy for 4 years, and then almost having it with him at the age of 16 while in her front garden while searching for a present for another boy that happens to really, **really** like her?_

She was suddenly very glad of the surroundings and she hid her face behind some flowers.

"Sakura?"

Not emerging from behind the flowers, she stammered "Y-yes, S-Sasuke-kun?"

"Sakura, you're stammering again," Sasuke said in consternation. Sakura stuck her head out and smiled apologetically, not trusting herself to speak. Sasuke scratched his head. "What are we looking for?"

"G-green earrings"

"Green earrings?"

"Lee-san said they brought out the c-colour of my eyes"

"_Green _earrings?" Sasuke stared at the very green garden.

She giggled. "Yes, green earrings"

Sasuke sighed. "Sakura, you're lucky I like you"

Sakura sobered immediately and returned to intense examination of her front lawn.

_Yea, you like me, but not in the way it matters…_

_- _

It was night now and Sasuke had managed to run into the same prickly bush three times now. Feeling somewhat harassed, he called to Sakura to stop.

He didn't hear a reply and grew concerned.

"Sakura? Where are you?"

A blue light appeared in front of him and out of a defensive habit from his days as a missing-nin, his sharingan activated.

He felt Sakura's chakra presence. "Sakura?"

The blue light moved closer and he could see Sakura's amused face clearly. She flicked at his forehead and he flinched at the image of Itachi's face. Sakura didn't notice.

"I'm right here, doofus. Were you scared?"

Sasuke scoff, not bothering to reply. Sakura peered at him closely, bringing her strange chakra light to his face. _Medical ninjutsu, _he surmised, _so she can see at night._

"Oy," she said sharply, tapping at his temple, "turn it off. You don't want to get in a fight with me"

"Uh… " Sasuke didn't know what to say. Sakura wasn't stammering anymore and… was she flirting with him? He opted to revert back to his regular sight and ran his hand through his hair nervously. He looked around and noticed no lights on in the house. "Aren't your parent's home?"

Sakura shook her head. "They're minding the shop, leaving it open late since it's almost Christmas. Come inside" and she opened the door.

He followed her into her home and shut the door behind him. She switched the lights on and led him on a lazy tour of her home.

"Bathroom… lounge… parents room… " she motioned to each room haphazardly. Sasuke assumed from the décor that Sakura was in the upper middle class. Sakura entered what seemed to be a storage room and began looking through boxes, carelessly dropping them on the ground.

"What are you looking for?" he asked.

"My Christmas present"

"… _another_ one?"

Sakura laughed. "I haven't seen it yet, my parents hid it from me. I just _need_ to know what it is!"

Sasuke felt a fierce longing in his heart to join in on her childish want. But he wasn't like that anymore. Couldn't be like that. Not since –

Sakura was in front of him. "Hey," she said, her face full of concern. "You don't have to help me look for another present"

Sasuke looked at her incredulously, did she not understand? Sakura's shoulders were shaking and he realized she was laughing at him. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Haha, kidding Uchiha, you suck at searching anyway. Besides, you've done enough for me today, thank you. Come on, I'll make you something to eat before you go"

She led him into the bathroom so they could wash up. Just as he was about to exit she pushed him back down so that he fell onto the side of the tub.

"Sit still," Sakura tersely ordered him, as she ransacked her bathroom cupboard. She turned around to face him, with cotton balls in one hand and a bottle of alcohol in the other.

"What –" he started, before Sakura roughly grasped his face and made him look in the mirror. Cuts, scrapes and grazes decorated one side of his face.

"I don't remember you with all of _this_ when we started looking. What happened?"

"Err… " Sakura waited expectantly. "It was dark and I… kind of… walked into… the bush. A few times" he said slowly.

Sakura stared at him a few seconds before bursting into peals of incredulous laughter. "How many times?" she gasped.

"… three" he admitted grudgingly as he watched her laugh at him. It was a new experience for Sasuke.

She was still chuckling as she socked the cotton ball with alcohol. "Impressive war scars, Sasuke-kun" Just as she was about to dab it onto his face he stopped her.

"Sasuke-kun what –" Sakura started and tried it again but this time Sasuke held firmly onto her wrist. He grinned at her shyly and laughed nervously.

Sakura stared at him, dazed. Spending a few hours in his company had help Sakura get over her timidity. An hour of silent contemplation had managed convinced her that they could just be friends. She had even teased and flirted with him (yielding minimal results)!

But having Sasuke so close, clutching her wrist and smiling shyly was just too much. Sakura reminded herself (quite severely) that she had a patient in front of her. She switched into medical ninjutsu specialist mode, but she could do nothing about the stammer that had returned.

"S-Sasuke-kun, w-what is the problem?" she attempted to say sternly.

Sasuke's eyes moved to the bottle of alcohol now on the bathroom sink top.

"Y-you can't honestly tell m-me that a 16-year-old sh-shinobi can't handle a little alcohol"

"I can handle my alcohol very well, thank you very much," Sasuke retorted. Sakura's eyes widened.

_Is he flirting back?_

Sakura retaliated by pulling his face towards her and mercilessly cleaning his cuts and scrapes. She was gratified to hear him yelp several times. When she was done, she stood back and surveyed her work. "I thought you said you could handle your alcohol?" she smirked.

A few minutes later they were both in the kitchen. Sasuke was sitting at the breakfast table, rubbing at a band-aid on his forehead resentfully.

"You know, you could've just used your chakra" he pointed out.

Sakura looked thoughtful. "Hm, yea you're right" She set a plate of sandwiches in front of him.

"This is what I get for helping you all day?" he complained.

"No, this is what you get as a shinobi who can't handle a little alcohol" she replied, smiling. "And speaking of shinobi's who can't handle a little alcohol…" she grabbed a sandwich of the plate and winked at him.

Sasuke smiled back and began to eat as well. They had a comfortable moment talking about inconsequential things.

"You said your parents owned a shop, before" he said.

"Um, yea, it just sells a lot of stuff from everywhere – one of those stores that stock really nice things from all over the world" she spoke around her third sandwich.

Sasuke chewed slowly, musing. Would Sakura's parents know what he should get her?

"… they let me pick out three things from their shop too! But it still doesn't make up for the fact my dad totally went behind my back, bought a present and then hid it. I mean, it's the season of giving right? Why can't he just give it to me!" Sakura fumed.

"Err… " Sasuke groped for words, and not finding any, moved to have the last sandwich.

Sakura, hungry from her tirade, also moved to have the last sandwich.

Their hands met in the middle, and though both flinched, neither pulled their hand back. After a few awkward moments, Sasuke spoke in a dangerous tone.

"Sakura… I'm hungry"

"Yea? Y-you wanna f-fight for it, Uchiha?"

The atmosphere tensed and Sakura licked her dry lips.

The door clicked open and the moment ended abruptly. Sakura sprung back to her previous place, sitting on the kitchen top counter. She rubbed her hand, as if burned. She honestly thought she had been.

Sasuke stood up and greeted Sakura's parents respectfully and they flashed Sakura a suspicious look. After the initial introductions were nervously conducted, Sakura's mother began to interrogate Sasuke.

"So you're Sakura's friend?"

"Yes"

"And you came over to spend time with her?"

"Um… I was just in the neighbor hood. Kind of. I ended up helping her with some… chores"

"Just in the neighbor hood, huh?" Sakura's mother looked at her askance. "What kind of chores?"

"We were looking for her present"

"What! Sakura, can't you just wait two weeks! You have to force a friend to look as well? Look at him, dirt all over him and scrapes that'll last until Christmas probably!"

"… I volunteered, Haruno-san"

Sakura's mother seemed visibly shocked. "You actually wanted to help her?" When Sasuke nodded slowly she seemed to appraise him. "Are you single?"

"Mum!" Sakura said, scandalized. Sakura's mum chuckled.

"I guess you two will want to say your _goodbyes_" she giggled as she walked out of the room.

Sakura, still pink, apologized. "Sorry, she just wants me to get married ASAP. Worries to death when I'm on missions, so she just wants me to settle down…"

"It's nothing" Sasuke waved off airily. "So should I leave now?"

"It _is _getting late," Sakura yawned and hopped off the bench to stretch. She saw the last sandwich innocently sitting on the plate and reached for it…

… but Sasuke's hand shot out and grabbed it. He smirked at her as he took a chunk out of the soft bread.

"Oh, you're definitely leaving now!" she laughed and pushed him playfully out the door. "Night Sasuke-kun!" she called to him as he walked down the street. He waved at her, not looking back. He stooped down when he saw something sparkly next to his foot and picked up a green earring. He smiled softly to himself and pocketed it.

Just as he got to the end of the path he heard footsteps behind and he turned around to see a panting man. Sakura's father.

"Sasuke?" he nodded. "Ah, have you bought Sakura's present yet?" Sasuke shook his head. "Then come around to our home tomorrow afternoon, Sakura will be out with Ino then. We need your help with something… "

-

The day had come. Finally.

That morning had seen a busy but happy Sakura socializing with the Konoha shinobi. She gave and received many presents.

Kakashi had given her a fine set of weapons, a joint effort with Tenten. Tsunade had presented her some books with a lottery ticket and Shizune had given her a cute piggybank. Naruto had given her a ramen voucher and Ino a set of cherry blossom hairpins.

Sakura found the maid costume Jiraiya sent her a little disturbing.

She had yet to see Sasuke and her parents stubbornly ignored her whenever she brought up the topic of her Christmas present.

She sighed as she tied up the obi to the kimono she had picked out and as she ran a comb through her hair.

Maybe it had all been a joke. Maybe they had just bought a present for someone else and had pretended it was hers so that she would get into the Christmas hype.

Only she wasn't so hyped up now.

She stood up from her dresser table and stood in front of her full-length mirror, inspecting her new kimono. It was a soft green that complimented her eyes with a deep brown that matched the cherry blossom twigging. Smoothing down her front, she stepped out of her room and shut her door softly. She turned into the kitchen to get a glass of water and saw her parents sitting at the table with Sasuke. On the table was a charming wooden box.

"H-hi" she said dumbly to Sasuke.

He was sitting casually in his chair, wearing a dark blue festive yukata tied with a white sash. Sakura thought he looked more handsome than any boy had a right to be.

"Hey," he replied softly, his dark eyes never letting go of hers. Sakura could feel a blush surfacing and dropped her eyes to avoid the embarrassment of her all-too-obvious crush on her team mate. She instead focused on the wooden box.

"Is this… " she drifted off. Her parents nodded yea, smiling. The excitement grew as she reached out to the box…

Sasuke thought Sakura looked very cute. A word he hadn't even thought held a place in his vocabulary until it popped into his head. Her hair was short and very fine, hanging just above her shoulders in a shaggy line. The sleeves of the kimono were cut long and hung over her hands. The way she hopped over to the table childishly, with her cheeky grin made his tongue suddenly feel too big and he ran his head through his hair, wondering if he'd stayed out in the sun too long that day.

Her eyes were bright and her eager smile infectious as she slid open the latch and swung the lid back on its hinges.

"Ribbons?" she asked, dumbstruck.

"Not just any," her father said nervously, "they come from the Snow Country and you can infuse chakra into them and give them pretty designs"

Sakura took out the top tray of white ribbons, obviously still to be decorated. Her mouth opened in an o-shape as she lifted out the second tray.

There, vibrantly coloured ribbons had little tiny stitchings on them.

Sasuke's sharingan picked out the words "Kakashi" and "Catching Bells" on the first ribbon Sakura picked out.

Sakura touched the soft silk and held it to her chest. The colours shifted from blue to green. _Just as enigmatic as Kakashi-sensei._ She gasped as she saw herself through the copy ninjas eyes, punching the ground and having it collapse all around him. She could feel his heightening pride at her growth. It warmed her heart.

Her mother smiled warmly at her amazement. "Chakra is a form of expendable life energy. As we gave it to the ribbons, so too did we give our fond memories of you"

Sakura was stuck for words. She knew that all these happy memories were priceless and would always be there to give her heart when she'd lost hope.

She hugged her parents tightly whispering thanks.

Sasuke felt like an intruder as he witnessed a family moment and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Sakura broke away from her parents, hurriedly wiping tears from her eyes. She looked at Sasuke and laughed shortly.

"So? Where's my present?" she demanded jokingly.

Sasuke smiled in reply and stood up. "Let's go" he said shortly.

"Sasuke came by to walk you to the festival" her father told her, eyeing the Uchiha suspiciously.

"Ah," Sakura said, shocked. She came to herself quickly and nodded to Sasuke to meet her in the foyer and said goodbye to her parents, with another heartfelt thanks. She ran to her room and quickly used Ino's hairpins to hold her hair back on both sides. A shaggy section was too short to be held back and Sakura ran her fingers through it so it would frame her face properly. She saw Lee's earring on her dresser. She couldn't bear leaving without it, Lee was such a dear friend to her, and she put it carefully up her sleeve. She grabbed a small black box tied with a white ribbon and met up with Sasuke in her foyer.

She held the box behind her back and grinned cheekily at Sasuke. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"What are you hiding?"

"Nothing" she giggled.

Sasuke glared at her. "I don't believe you," he said quietly, and took a step towards her.

Sakura took a step back and replied "Do I care?" The dangerous aura surrounding him excited her slightly and left her breathless.

"Tell me" he said and he put his hands out, preparing to catch her.

"No!" she squealed and attempted to run back into her home but Sasuke caught her around the waist and spun her around. He pushed her against the wall and leant against her.

"Give the box to me"

"What box?"

"The one you're holding" he said, his hot breath on her ear.

"Why?" she asked, breathlessly. She could see a wall scroll hanging on the wall in front of her but all she could concentrate on was how his body was pressing hers against wall…

"It's my present isn't it?"

"What if it is?" she challenged. He stayed silent a moment, as if considering something. Then, out of nowhere, licked her nose and while Sakura looked at him, mouth gaping, he snatched the box from her hands.

He stuck his tongue out at her childishly and stared avidly at his present. He shook it and weighed it in his hand.

Sakura stared, unsure of what to think. Sasuke had been acting very normal around her lately (which was a weird thing for him). Ever since he had helped her out in the garden, he spent an hour or two sitting with her everyday around Konoha, sometimes talking, sometimes not. She had been surprised, to say the least, seeing him in her kitchen offering to walk her to the festival. Traditionally, it was considered that whoever walked a girl to any festival was an escort, and therefore her date. She wondered if he knew that. And just now, he had flirted with her, licked her, teased her and was now acting like any other kid with his present.

She watched him tear off the ribbon and take off the lid. She smiled at him shyly when he looked at her in astonishment.

Inside the box, resting on dark blue tissue paper, was an open pocket watch. On one side was a small ticking clock, and on the other was a picture of him and Sakura, taken just the week before at the training compound. He lifted the watched from its place and flipped it to the underside, where there was a small engraving. _**Friends since 15/12/05**._

She smiled at him shyly. "I didn't think that we were anything much before… before you left" she said softly. "I think it might've been my fault. But I'm really happy we can be like this now, Sasuke-kun. I'm really happy we can be good friends"

He smiled back at her. "Need a hand?"

She nodded and put her hand on his shoulder as she slipped on her geta. He opened the door and she slipped out in front of him. He shut the door and stopped her before she went without him.

"Wait, Sakura" he called softly. She looked at him, her eyes inquiring. "Your present," he said shyly, and took a small packet from his sleeve. She slipped it open and shook the contents into her hand.

A green earring.

She looked up at him incredulously. "You found it, and you didn't _tell_ me? We looked for _hours!_" she punched him on his shoulder, and he rubbed the spot resentfully.

"I only found it after I left your home," he said sulkily.

"Hold this" she ignored him. She took the other green earring from her sleeved and slipped it onto her ear. She held her hand out for its twin.

Sasuke, feeling inspired, leant forward and put on the earring himself. He stood back and put his hand to his chin, as if assessing her.

"Not bad" he said seriously, and she punched him again, laughing. She started to walk off but he called her back again.

"Wait! That's not all you know…" he said. She waited patiently for him. He took a forest green ribbon and a dark blue ribbon from his sleeve. He gave the green one first.

This memory was one of when he had left and she had caught up to him. She closed her mind to the images, thinking her heart might break all over again, but she couldn't avoid what Sasuke had felt – salvation.

He gave her the blue ribbon now, a memory of the day he had come back. She saw herself punching through stone, and stepping through the gaping hole, telling him to get out or risk having her chakra his butt to Shinobi Hell. She saw herself fighting, and she saw herself sweating over the numerous injured and tending to their wounds, determination blazing in her eyes. And finally, she saw herself catching him before he hit the ground and telling him that home was waiting. She had an onslaught of mixed feelings – shock, admiration, pride, relief.

She looked up at Sasuke, his eyes were hooded – she couldn't tell what he was thinking. He took another ribbon from his sleeve now, it was still white.

"Don't tell me you stole that just then" she said, aghast. He threw her a look.

"No, I asked for an extra one" he said snobbily. She watched him as he concentrated on the ribbon, blue light from his fingers. The ribbon appeared to soak it up. He stopped slowly, and smiled at her. It was a light yellow. She took it from his fingers and closed her eyes.

She saw herself, in her kimono. _She's so cute… _Sasuke's voice said in her head and she could feel herself blushing. She had just come out from her room and was hiding the box behind her hand. He was pressing her up against the wall. He was opening the present.

She felt happiness and a childish joy at receiving a gift from a close friend. She felt an all encompassing gratefulness, and a sudden peace, as she spoke about them. She felt loved.

Sakura opened her eyes and saw Sasuke watching her closely. He fidgeted nervously and took a step closer.

"Thank you, Sakura" was all he could seem to say. She smile at him softly and hugged him around the middle. She felt him tense, before relaxing and wrapping his arms around her. "Thank you so much… "

She stepped back and holding his hand, led him down the street, towards the festivities. They walked in silence and after a few minutes, they started to hear laughter and the commotion of a festival. He entwined his fingers with hers and slowed their pace, wishing to prolong these few precious moments with her. They reached the gates, just as the sun was setting. Sakura saw Lee waving to her in his green yukata, and Naruto loudly boasting about the new ramen recipe book that she had given him earlier that day. As they were about to pass under the little wooden posts that showed the entrance, one of Sakura's geta slipped off. She giggled slightly and slipped it back on. She stood back up and tugged on Sasuke's hand, eager to join Naruto, but his eyes seemed fixated on something above them.

She looked up as well.

… _Because although he didn't like it, he was a man of tradition. Tradition drove him to avenge his family. **Tradition** bespoke that he wear his family crest with pride. _**Tradition** _told him he must present appropriate gifts to those he had ties with._

_**And tradition was now demanding that Sasuke kiss Sakura.**_

Sakura looked at him, eyes wide. Mentally girding his loins, Sasuke tipped her head up with his fingers, and slowly, softly, gently touched his lips to hers. And there they kissed under the mistletoe, just as the Sun's last rays hit Konoha, and just as night set all around them.

* * *

**a/n: **This actually started off as a NYE story, but I figured that Christmas was coming, so what the heck. I'd really appreciate reviews, so I know whether or not to continue or leave this as a one-shot. Also, I'd like to ask if anyone wants to volunteer as my beta, who will get back to me ASAP for the next chapter, as NYE is just around the corner and I want to get it out before then. Thanks tonnes, I hope you enjoyed this story! 

**Your generous review will help inspire an author today. Please donate generously.**


	2. New Years Eve

Disclaimer: Nobody on own nothin', ya hear me!

**Warning: **If you hate convenient New Years Eve plotlines, please turn back now.

* * *

**When It Comes**

So there was this girl. And there was this boy.

And the Village of Konoha was readying itself to usher in a new year…

-

Midmorning sunshine ended up being the one thing that woke Sakura up. She had managed to doze through the roosters' cuckoo-ing, her alarm clocks chiming and her mothers repeated attempts to wrench her and her blanket off the bed.

But the midmorning sunshine somehow did it.

Sakura rolled onto her back, pushing the blanket so that it lay dejectedly in a pile at her feet. One hand scratched at her stomach, the other holding her hair out of her face as she peered at the sun through narrowed eyes.

She briefly considered staying in bed all day. After all, it was the day after the Christmas celebrations and no-one would question her need to stay in. But she knew that she only wanted to hide out so that she could avoid Sasuke. However, since that day in the garden with Sasuke (the engraving _**Friends since 15/12/05** _flashed briefly in her head), he had spent an hour or two with her everyday. If he didn't see her around Konoha, he'd eventually find her at home. Sasuke wasn't dumb – he'd figure out that she was avoiding him and _that_ would _really _make it awkward for them.

Sakura sighed as she sat up in bed. Stretching, she glanced at the pictures on her desk, eyes refusing to look at those with Sasuke. She walked to the bathroom, tugging her sleeping shorts up to a respectable height around her hips and deftly knotted the drawstrings. She looked in the mirror. Her face was pale and her eyes a little puffy from too much sleep.

She oozed toothpaste onto her toothbrush and began to clean her teeth, with a little too much gusto, as she thought about the night before.

The kiss had left her with pink cheeks and a racing heart, of course. Sasuke had broken it off, running his hand through his hair and hastily showing her through the gates.

That night Sakura found herself surrounded by an excited Tenten, an envious Ino and a wide-eyed Hinata, all subjecting her to a fearsome style of interrogation. She'd had to repeat several times that "No, we're just friends!" When Ino pointed out with glee that Sasuke had been seen holding Sakura's hand, she corrected herself with "we're _good_ friends".

The whole festival she had to endure Ino and Tenten's talking (in scandalized voices) about her love life. Sakura swiftly decided that being in the Konoha limelight was not as exciting - nor as rewarding - as it sounded.

It didn't help when she would find Sasuke looking at her. They'd hold eye contact for a moment before he smiled charmingly at her. She looked away quickly when it happened (and it seemed to happen a lot), experiencing a whole range of symptoms – flushed cheeks, a heady feeling, sweaty palms, a fluttering heart and a nervy stomach. She wondered if she should beg off sick and run to Tsunade-shishou.

The night had begun, proceeded and ended with photos being taken and Sakura let Sasuke walk her home, exciting more talk. Before she collapsed into bed, she'd taken a shower, hoping it would cool her sudden fever. Needless to say, it didn't work.

Sakura spat and rinsed her mouth out. She splashed water over her face, hoping to put the colour back into her face and relieve the puffiness from her eyes. She ran wet fingers through her hair, soaking it.

Sakura paced back to her room, rubbing her head vigorously with a towel before combing her hair. She then tipped her head upside down and used her fingers to separate the strands and make it fluffier. She let her hair dry as she chose something casual to wear: a pair of baby pink shorts (ending just below the tops of her thighs, it revealed more leg than her parents could appreciate) with a snugly fitting tee-shirt which proudly proclaimed that "his noodly appendage" had touched her 1 – if you don't understand this, search "flying spaghetti monster" on wikipedia dot org. It's great, funny and will change your life. She finished by pinning her hair back.

Sakura drank a glass of milk a waved to her parent's goodbye. Wearing a pair of magenta thongs, she sprinted to the grocery store, its attendants still sleepy.

Sakura figured that if she subtly avoided Sasuke, without avoiding him, she'd encounter no gross mishaps. She would spend this morning with Naruto.

-

Sasuke rubbed his eyes; he hadn't expected the curtains to let in this much light when he'd pulled them to the side.

Sasuke stood, basking in the warm light, his hands resting on the sill.

He saw Sakura running on the rooftops. He wanted to open his window and call out to her, but he didn't want to come off as desperate or clingy. He knew they were just friends. Despite what all the boys told him, what they had said about him and Sakura spending time together, holding hands, coming to the festival together and kissing passionately (was it that passionate?) he knew they were just friends. In fact, the engraved pocket watch Sakura had given him screamed agreement and ultimate witness to the fact.

_**Friends since 15/12/05.**_

Sasuke understood what they were. Sakura understood what they were.

So why all the confusion? Sasuke ran his hand through his hair in agitation. He startled when Sakura tripped. She sat up and seemed to realize with a shock where she was and slapped her forehead with her open palm, as though she'd done something so obviously wrong. Her eyes immediately flew to his apartment building, straight at him.

She sighed. Sakura raised her hand, waved and smiled nervously before hastily getting up and running off again.

Sasuke's eyes remained trained on her legs. Since he'd come back, all he saw Sakura in were in her red Haruno shirt, knee-length beige skirt, black shorts and shin-guards, other than yesterday in her kimono (he secretly hoped she'd wear another like it again) and today.

In her baby pink, **seriously** short, shorts.

This was a new side to Sakura that Sasuke had never seen before. Literally.

He ran his hand through his hair again.

What would Neji, Lee, Naruto, Shino, Kiba, Chouji, Shikamaru, Kakashi, Genma, Asuma, Gai and every single other man in Konoha know anyway?

-

Sakura knocked tentatively on Naruto's door. Not getting an answer, she softly turned the handle and the door clicked open.

"No sense of security," Sakura snorted to herself.

She set her bag on Naruto's overcrowded kitchen bench top and padded over to Naruto's sleeping body. Sakura touched his hand lightly.

"Naruto? It's me, Sakura. If you hear anything, it's just me cleaning your ramen factory," she smiled.

Naruto stirred slightly in his sleep and rolled on his back. "OK, Sakura-nii-chan…"

Sakura felt an upwelling of affection for Naruto and felt like waking him up so that he could move over and let her sleep next to him. She instead settled for setting her lips against his forehead and tucked his sleeping cap back on.

She sighed, hands on hips, as she quickly devised an action plan to deal with the growing threat of Naruto's… kitchen. She threw all the empty ramen cups, milk cartons and disposable chopsticks into garbage bags, grimacing as she did so. No wonder no-one ever visited Naruto at home.

She was on her third bag when there came a knock at the door. Sakura peeled off her rubber gloves and opened it.

"Hi!" she said cheerily, only to have the smile slide off her face when she realized who was standing in front of her.

Sasuke was leaning against the side of the door, his arm above his head. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans with a black polo, its collar turned up. His raised arm caused the shirt to ride up slightly on one side, revealing a slide of toned stomach muscles.

"Aa…" Sasuke replied lazily. Sakura's heart slowed down painfully, each thump reverberating throughout her chest. She fought for each breath.

Why was this so awkward for her?

Sasuke grew fidgety under Sakura's intense gaze. _Is she checking me out?_ He stood up properly and put his hands in his pockets, resisting the urge to run his hand through his hair. "Can I come in or is there something about Naruto I should know?"

Sakura pinched herself, trying to get herself into working order. She switched into Jounin mode and swiftly assessed the situation.

_You tried to avoid Sasuke. You figured you hadn't out with Naruto for a while so you hid out at his place and decided to play housemaid. Only Sasuke managed to find you. He's standing there, as hot as the sun, and Naruto is snoring somewhere in the background. You and he have finally become friends only to kiss under mistletoe with half of Konoha watching. He's your friend and you want him bad. But not bad enough to ruin this budding new friendship…_

In a split second Sakura retorted, "I think you should know you have a big forehead"

Sasuke blinked? _What? Where did that come from? _With a slightly wary air of someone dealing with a madman, he said patiently, "it only looks big because I don't have my forehead protector on like usual"

"Nope," she said, "it's definitely big," and as if to prove her point, Sakura flicked at his forehead. She went on seriously, "Be careful, someone might walk into that thing"

"Oh, only if they somehow manage to dodge yours first" he retorted.

"With great power comes grave responsibility" Sakura replied sagely.

Sasuke smirked as Sakura moved to let him in. Before he could take out his white sneakers however, she found himself staring at two full garbage bags, suspiciously smelling of old ramen and stale milk.

"Your first mission of the day," Sakura told him shortly, pushing him out the door and down the stairs.

They spent the rest of the morning cleaning Naruto's home. When they finished and had washed themselves of any grime, Sakura whipped out – from thin air as far as Sasuke could tell – a bag of groceries and proceeded to prepare vegetables and meat for a large meal.

"What's this?" Sasuke asked as Sakura took Naruto's new ramen recipe book and flicked through it.

"Um… I'm making Naruto ramen for breakfast"

"But it's midday, ergo, lunch"

"But he hasn't broken his fast yet, ergo, breakfast!" Sakura said dangerously, a dark gleam in her eyes.

Sasuke matched her for tone. "But society's conventions bespeak that –"

"Sasuke? Sakura?"

Their heads swung around to face a bleary-eyed Naruto, sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes.

"Hi guys!" he said happily, with a cute smile. One eye opened widely to show a brilliantly untainted sapphire blue. His cap lay lopsided on his head, half-covering the other eye.

In a flash Sakura was on his bed hugging him tightly. "You're so cute!" she squealed, clutching him even closer.

Naruto's smile grew even wider and he hummed happily. "I love you Sakura-nii-chan!"

Sasuke glared at Naruto. When he'd left, he hadn't expected to come home to a mothering Sakura, showing limitless affection to Naruto, her former admirer. He gathered that after Naruto had come back from his own training expedition, the two had gained a lot of respect for each other – Sakura patching Naruto up constantly and Naruto's faith in his suddenly-older-sister. Blood and time meant nothing to them; only each other.

"Alright, that's enough you two" Sasuke interjected, annoyed. "Sakura, your project is about to self-destruct in five… four… three…"

Sakura jumped up as if burned and rushed to the kitchen.

"Sasuke…" she growled, when she realized nothing had destroyed itself.

"What?" he said innocently. "Naruto's getting spoilt…"

"Feeling neglected?" Sakura raised an eyebrow. _Don't read into it…_ she told herself sternly.

"Yes" Sasuke said, matter-of-factly.

"Aw, that's ok, Sasuke! You have me!" Naruto said boisterously, and glomped Sasuke enthusiastically.

"Get off, dobe!" Sasuke tackled Naruto to the ground and they rolled around on the floor, wrestling. Sasuke eventually won, managing to pin Naruto to the ground.

It suddenly occurred to Sakura how strange this might look to a stranger.

Naruto lying on his back, in a black tee shirt and orange boxers, Sasuke lying on top of him, bodies touching with heated glares. Like lovers…

_Oh dear…_ Sakura thought to herself, and couldn't help but have a little giggle to herself.

"What?" Sasuke sat up, rubbing his head, glancing at Naruto. The blonde sat up as well, staring fondly at his returned friend.

_They look like they've been caught doing something wrong…_ Sakura giggled some more.

… _wrong like their first kiss! _And with that though, Sakura burst into laughter. That only made the two boys give her strange looks, making her laugh even more. She fell to the floor, clutching her stomach with both arms.

"Been hitting the bottle again?" Sasuke asked Naruto.

"I can't seem to make her stop" Naruto replied sadly.

Sakura's laughter had slowed down to a giggle. "Oh you two are just _priceless" _she told them, and continued to cook. After a few minutes of listening to Naruto and Sasuke argue, she told spoke. "Naruto, sit at the table. Now, I want you to close your eyes – and no peeking!"

Naruto obediently followed Sakura's instructions and Sasuke reclined in his chair, watching with disguised curiosity at what Sakura was about to present.

She came out holding a tray of three ramen bowls. Naruto's eyebrow twitched. Sakura set them out on the table, and clapped her hands together.

"Open up, Naruto!"

Naruto opened one eye first, and glancing down at the steaming bowl in front of him, gave a whoop of delight and started on his breakfast (or was it lunch?). Sakura, looking satisfied, also started on her bowl, and finally, Sasuke decided to eat as well.

He concluded that Sakura was multi-talented.

-

Sakura and Sasuke were walking throughout the village, after Naruto had told them he had a training session with Jiraiya. It was a mostly silent walk, comfortable for the most part.

They reached her home and Sakura gulped, feeling unaccountably nervous. She stood outside her door, waiting on Sasuke who seemed to fiddling with something at the waistband of his jeans. She saw a glint of metal.

"S-Sasuke-kun…" she said softly, and he looked up. "You're wearing the pocket-watch I gave you…"

"Yea…" he unlinked it and gave it to her. She opened it and saw a new picture. _Already changed it?_ She looked at it closely and saw a picture of her and Sasuke from the festival, in their festive clothes. They had been quite unaware of having their photo taken, and Sakura was laughing at something Sasuke had said. It seemed so natural.

"Sakura… we're still on break until New Years Eve… I was wondering if you wanted me to walk you to the fireworks?" he said slowly and quietly.

Sakura stared at him, stunned. "But Sasuke-kun, if we walk there together, like at Christmas… people will assume things…"

_Idiot! _Inner Sakura yelled at her. _If you hadn't pointed it out, he wouldn't have known! Now he'll take it all back!_

"We know what we are though" Sasuke said simply. "Who cares what they think?"

"Err… " she didn't know what to say. She felt disappointed. Once again, he had rejected her, turning her down without actually turning her down. It made their moment under the mistletoe seem like nothing.

_My first kiss, perfect in every way but how that boy felt for me…_

"We could just go as friends?" Sasuke suggested, trying to correct himself.

_Idiot! _Sasuke groaned on the inside. _Now she'll think you're taking the friendship too far and she'll back off…_

"You're right, Sasuke-kun. We could just go as friends" she smiled. She pecked him on the cheek, hoping for a reaction. She felt Sasuke fingers pressing at her wrist, but it lasted only a second.

"Bye" she said, and walked into the house. She made her way to her room and collapsed onto her bed, wondering what was happening to her friendship with Sasuke. Everything they said in private felt like there was some other message beneath the words and everything they did had a veiled meaning beneath the actions.

She noticed an odd shadow on her arm and looked out of her window. Had the neighbors planted a new tree?

There, on the windowsill, was a white envelope with a single name.

**Sakura.**

Sakura carefully reached out the enveloped and took it into her hands. It felt very warm and she realized it must have been laying for a few hours in the sun. She picked it open and a single sheet fell out into her lap.

_Thank you for the Christmas memories._

_Sasuke._

Sakura looked at the note, mouth slightly agape. _So this is how he writes_, she mused vaguely. The letters were perfectly formed and the handwriting was strong. It reflected Sasuke's character perfectly.

She reached into the small envelope and took out a small white ribbon.

It was Christmas under the mistletoe.

Love.

-

It was New Years Eve and Sakura sat in her kitchen, hands clasped together in her lap. Her foot tapped the tiles in a constant, nerve-wracking rhythm and for the umpteenth time she asked her mother if she looked fine.

Her mother glared at her resentfully. "No, you're hideous"

Sakura giggled at her mother's attempt to lessen her nerves and smoothed out the imagine wrinkles in her dress.

She was wearing a teal summer dress. It had thin straps and showed off only enough of her back to let everyone know she had smooth skin. The skirt went to her knees and flared out from her hips. She had made herself another white ribbon to match the one Sasuke had given her, with her memories of the night. She wore them in her hair, each one tied around the two little tufts of pink hair around the nape of her neck that she tried to pass off as pigtails.

Sakura tugged at one nervously, trying to reassure herself that maybe Sasuke felt as nervous as she did. But knowing him, it probably wouldn't show. She decided to wait outside for him and told her mother so. She slipped out the door in her white flats and sat on the steps outside her home. She waited a few minutes before she saw Sasuke's tall, lean form walk towards her.

She thought she would be nervous with butterflies in her tummy and her heart skipping beats. But she only felt very calm when she saw him. Her hands relaxed from the tight fists they had made and her lips curved into a smile.

"Good evening, Uchiha-kun"

-

Sasuke chatted with Naruto, keeping an eye on the time.

_Another tradition, _he sighed to himself.

Everyone was anticipating the fireworks, said to be better this year than any other. But then, they said that every year. He saw Sakura across the park, talking happily with the other girls of their class. Every now and then, one of them would glance at him furtively, making him wonder what their chosen topic of conversation was.

Sasuke glanced around him, making sure everything would go how he planned. He saw many other boys, many other _men, _looking anxious and edgy.

Maybe he wasn't the only one stuck in tradition.

He felt the sudden lull in conversation all around him and Sasuke looked to the podium, where the Hokage stood, about to give her annual speech to welcome the New Year and bless everyone accordingly.

It was nearly time.

Sasuke weaved his way the crowd, none-too-gently pushing couples out of his way. He saw Sakura's pink hair and heard her laugh. To him it sounded as beautiful as rain on glass. He was careful to stay out of her sight and readied himself, breathing in, breathing out.

"… the New Year brings in so much potential for peace and prosperity for our village. May we have a good one!" Tsunade finished, raising the glass of wine Shizune had given her. Everyone around him raised their drinks as well, and toasted the New Year. Sasuke could only clench his sweaty palms.

The countdown started. Sasuke felt people still themselves, and others steadily moving towards their chosen places for midnight.

**Five.**

Sakura was counting out loud, smiling.

**Four.**

Ino tapped on Sakura's shoulder, pointing her to Sasuke.

**Three.**

Sakura stared at him, before breaking into a wide grin.

**Two.**

Sasuke made his way to her, a serene smile in his eyes.

**One.**

Sasuke stood close to Sakura, chest-to-chest, and took her fingers to his lips.

**Zero.**

"Happy New Year, Sakura" he whispered, before bending down to catch her lips in a chaste kiss.

Sakura pulled back, heaving in great breaths.

"Happy New Year, Sasuke-kun" she managed to say. She seemed very confused.

"It's tradition – you're supposed to kiss the girl closest to you at the turn the turn of the new year…" he explained huskily.

Sakura breathed in deeply, as though she couldn't believe what she was about to say.

"We might as well make it a good one then," she replied, a smirk in her eyes, as she pulled him down to kiss her again.

Sasuke thought the fireworks that year were particularly good.

* * *

A/N: There's another chapter, didn't realize it'd be out this late, so sorry! Well, I hope all of you had a great New Years, and that you all have your own Sasuke-kun or Sakura-chan to hold at New Year's Eve. I hadn't expected my story to be this popular, seriously, but thanks for all the encouraging reviews. Not one of you said anything bad! I'm sorry I can't reply to all your reviews **individually **like I did with my other story **Cool Kind of Punishment **but I heard that there was a crackdown on people thanking reviewers. Sorry for being super paranoid, but if you review, leave behind your email and I'll reply you that way 

Um, there will be yet another chapter to this story, if you can believe it! A lot of you were confused at how I could continue the story from last chapter, but trust me. It can be continued. I'll just keep devising Inner Sakura Issues.

If anyone thought Sakura and Naruto's relationship was a little OOC but I really think that the way the manga is going, eventually Naruto will drop his crush and Sakura will be able to reel in her anger (for the most part). And don't you think Naruto is so cute in my story? I can sooo imagine him acting like that haha.

**There is currently a review drought. Reviews are the life blood of the Fanfiction world. Please save this world. Or God help you.**


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